


New Fears

by Kaijuscientists



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), Detroit: Evolution
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exhaustion, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Octopunk Media's Detroit: Evolution Fan Film, Panic Attacks, just soft boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:15:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25540441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaijuscientists/pseuds/Kaijuscientists
Summary: After Nines' run in with Ada and subsequent shutdown, Gavin's subconscious finds something new to plague him with.
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 1
Kudos: 85





	New Fears

**Author's Note:**

> here I am writing fic for this pairing I never thought I'd like ever. but then I watched Detroit: Evolution and I fell in love with Gavin Reed and Nines.

Gavin wakes up screaming, for the fifth night in a row, with Nines’ name on his lips and his heart doing it’s best to beat right out of his chest. 

Lying there, staring at the ceiling, he tries to sort out reality from nightmare. 

He closes his eyes, remnants slipping through the cracks. 

_Nines limp on the ground, thirium dripping from his lips._

_His LED cycling red and flickering out._

_The light gone from his eyes._

It was almost refreshing, at first, to be woken up in blind panic about something other than his usual nightmares. Something different to weigh heavily on his conscience in the early hours of the morning, that wasn’t his own mortality. 

Not that it made it any better. He was sick of this new nightmare already, finding Nines’ shut down and dead in that alley. He shivers just thinking about it, how it could have been a reality had he gotten to Nines just a few minutes later. 

Heaving himself up to lean against the headboard, Gavin breathes in through his nose, out through his mouth in a desperate attempt to get himself under control. 

_Nines face, held in his hands, as he fights to get a single word out._

_He loses consciousness, going limp in Gavin’s arms, and he watches as his LED fades to black._

The sheet wrapped around his legs is suddenly too much, too constrictive as he wiggles free, pulling his legs up to his chest and hugging his knees. Scratchy fabric feeling like it’s scratching his skin raw. 

His phone sits on the nightstand, comfort literally an arms length and a phone call away. 

It’s tempting, Nines would pick up immediately, and it might help to soothe the lingering anxiety to hear his voice, to hear proof that he’s ok.

Might even be enough that he could try to get a little more sleep. God knows he needs it. 

The thing that stops him is the fact that Nines will insist on coming over when he hears how shaky he sounds, just wanting to help, and boy, wasn’t that something?

He’s just not mentally ready to unload his baggage on Nines again just yet. 

Fuck.

Gavin scrubs his hands over his face before sinking them into his hair. He sits for a moment, breathing slowly, trying to shake all the ways he’s dreamed Nines’ dieing over the week from his vision. 

Eventually he drags himself into the living room to watch trashy TV since he’s definitely not going back to sleep tonight. 

\----------------------

To say that Nines was worried about Gavin would be an understatement, he was always worried about the detective. A tired, irritable Gavin was normal.

But he had been even more irritable than usual, the bags under his eyes were so pronounced. His coffee consumption has increased to an honestly terrifying rate, to the point that Nines’ wanted to get a blood sample to get a reading on his caffeine levels. 

And the smoking, Gavin wasn’t a chain smoker by any rate. In time Nines’ has been his partner, he’d known Gavin to smoke mostly when he’s stressed. And if going through a whole pack of cigarettes in a week was any indication, he felt confident that Gavin was stressed, even without scanning his vitals.

Gavin hated when Nines scanned him, and as a rule, he respected his wishes and refrained unless the situation called for it. 

Nines felt he could make an exception, as he watched Gavin slumped in his chair, half heartedly clicking through his terminal. 

>Scanning….

>Temperature: 37.2 *C… normal  
>Heart Rate: 87 bmp… elevated  
>Blood Pressure: 139/87… elevated  
>Stress: approx. 63%... elevated 

>>>caffeine levels elevated, potential for anxiety, irritability high.  
>>> Solution… Rest

Nines’ watches Gavin carefully, he has to approach this with care, lest he incur Gavin’s wrath. He would probably make him angry regardless, he seemed so exhausted, Nines wouldn't even blame him. 

“Are you feeling alright, Gavin?” Nines asks, leaning against the edge of Gavin’s desk. The tired man was squinting at his terminal, not even acknowledging Nines’ presence. 

“Peachy.” Gavin responds, completely deadpan, resting his chin on his hand. 

“I can tell that you’re not.” Nines says, leaning a little closer, the paleness of Gavin’s skin standing out much more. 

“Thought I made it clear.” Gavin’s head snaps towards Nines, the hand that had been holding up his head slamming to his desk. “I do not like you scanning me, asshole.” 

“I didn’t,” Nines hisses, biting back the annoyance at Gavins outburst. He knows it’s not all his fault. “It's fairly obvious to literally everyone here.”

“I am fine, so do me a favor and drop it.” Gavin snaps, when the terminal in front of him chimes.  
“Would you look at that, perfect timing. We have a case.” 

Nines sighes, quickly skimming the file, an android hate crime. Maybe a distraction is what Gavin needed. He would try to broach the subject of accompanying Gavin to his apartment later, when he was hopefully in a better mood. 

“Shall we get going?” Nines’ asks, pushing off from the desk. He starts to walk away, knowing that Gavin will catch up, only to be stopped in his tracks by a sickening thud. He spins around so quickly his gyroscope feels like it keeps spinning without him, Gavin nowhere to be seen. 

He runs the short distance back to Gavin’s desk, the man collapsed in a heap on the floor. 

“Gavin?” Nines’ gasps, kneeling down next to him, quickly scanning him for injuries. 

“He just stood up and then went down, Nines.” Tina says, having witnessed Gavin pass out from across the precinct. “Should i call a bus?”

Gavin’s eyes flutter open at the mention. “No bus.” he groans out, a hand coming up to his head. 

“I don’t think it’s necessary,” Nines concludes, glancing up at her. “He did hit his head, but it doesn’t seem bad enough to warrant medical treatment, he just needs to rest.”

“Give me some fuckin’ space.” Gavin says, pushing himself up, even though the only people who have stopped to check on him were Nines and Tina. Nines quickly offers support with a hand on his shoulder, Gavin shrugging it off immediately. “I swear to god, Nines.”

“You just passed out,” Nines snaps back. “So, excuse me for worrying,

Gavin has the humility to look at least a little sorry.

“I’ve got it from here, Tina.” Nines said, offering her an apologetic smile. “I’ll take him home.” 

“I’ll let Fowler know.” She mouths ‘good luck’ as she walks away.

“Thanks.” Nines said, turning his attention back to Gavin, and scanning him again. His vitals seem to have stabilized. “Let's get you home.”

“Yeah… yeah, help me up.” Gavin says quietly, deflating a little, allowing Nines to pull him up. The sudden change in posture has his head swimming again, and he haS to grip Nines’ forearm to stay upright, acutely aware that he’s swaying. 

“You good?”

“Not really, but let's go.”

\-----------------

Gavin tries to unlock the door to his apartment, but his hands are shaking enough that he’s having trouble actually getting the key in the lock. 

“Let me.” Nines says softly, lifting the keys from Gavin’s fingers, allowing his own to drag over them. 

Gavin sighs, he’s so exhausted he is having trouble finding the energy to even be annoyed anymore. Removed from the precinct and all the prying eyes, Gavin allows himself to lean on Nines as the android unlocks his door. 

“Are you doing ok?.” Nines asked, his voice full of concern as Gavin stumbles inside. 

“Fine, tincan.” Gavins says, the fight drained out of him. “Just tired, my head hurts. I’m gonna go lie down.”

“Good idea.” Nines agrees, already in the kitchen to get Gavin a glass of water and some ibuprofen. When he enters the bedroom, the man has already changed into pajamas and crawled into his bed.

“For your head.” Nines says offering the medication, and not letting Gavin lie back down until he finished the whole glass of water. “Try to get some sleep.” 

“Don’t wanna sleep.”

“You need to.” Nines says, cupping Gavin’s cheek as he blinks heavy eyes slowly up at him. “I know you haven’t been sleeping well.”

Gavin just sighs deeply leaning into Nines’ touch, knows that the android is right. But he still doesn’t want to, he doesn’t want to see that nightmare ever again. 

“Are you having nightmares?” Nines asks, running his fingers through Gavin’s curls, gently scratching along his scalp 

Gavin nods, melting into the mattress more with each pass of Nines' fingers, his eyes slipping closed even as he fights it. 

“If you have one tonight, I’ll wake you up,” nines says. “I’ll be here for you.”

A deep part of his brain screams at him to tell Nines exactly why he doesn’t want to sleep. But the other, much bigger part of his brain is comforted by the words, by Nines voice laying over him and warming that space in his chest and Nines’ fingers working magic in his hair. 

Gavin is asleep in seconds. 

Nines waits until Gavins breathing has evened out before placing a soft kiss on his forehead. He goes to wait in the living room, not wanting to overstep any boundaries this early in whatever it is they have going. 

—————————

Nines is pulled out of stasis to sounds of distress in the other room. He’s up and in Gavin’s room, sitting by his side before his processors even catch up with him. 

“Nines… no.” Gavin groans out, his voice cracking, head tossing from side to side. 

“Gavin, wake up,” Nines says, placing a hand on his chest. “Whatever you’re dreaming, it isn’t real.”

“No...no no.” Gavins whimpering, arching up into Nines’ hand. The sheer grief in Gavins voice hurts him, whatever he is seeing, Nines has to stop it. 

“it’s ok, you’re safe.” Nines says, forcing his voice a little deeper, putting more authority behind it. “Wake up!”

Gavin wakes suddenly, like he had everyday the last week, air ripped from his lungs as he screams. He swings out at the figure looming over him, only for his wrist to be captured easily.

“Gavin, you’re safe.” 

Slowly his room comes into focus. The Nines before him is whole and unharmed, but when he blinks, he sees him dead again. This time torn to pieces, limbs scattered around the alley, more thirium than he thought could fit inside one android splattered everywhere. 

Everything slams into him all at once, Nines’ hands on his chest, holding his wrist burn like fire. And that’s too much.

Gavin scrambles back, away from Nines, nearly tumbling off the other side of the bed. He stares at the android, his eyes wide and his breathing quickly growing out of control. 

Nines sits back, holding his arms out in what he hopes is a non-threatening manner. 

“Gavin?” Nines asked timidly, waiting to make a move until he does. 

Gavin is frozen, somehow it’s almost worse, that Nines is here, his reality shifting between this and his nightmare. He should reach out, he wants to reach out, but his fingers grip his sheets tighter.

“Nines.” Gavin says, though it sounds more like a sob, his breath catching in his chest. 

Nines reaches out, waiting to gauge his reaction. For a second, he’s sure Gavin is going to bolt, run from the room and away from him. But then he’s reaching back, grabbing Nines’ hand in a vice grip. The android pulls Gavin into his arms, the man burying his face in Nines’ chest. He wraps his arms around Gavin, and holds him while the detective shakes apart.

Nines is heartbroken, his sensors picking up on the tears soaking into his chest. He rubs circles into Gavin’s back, whispering comforting words as he rocks him back and forth. 

“It’s about you.” Gavin croaks out eventually. He’s moved so that his head is resting on Nines’ shoulder, his face pressing into his neck. It’s a lot easier to talk when he doesn’t have to make eye contact. His traitorous subconscious still supplies him images of a dead Nines, even though the real deal was sitting here, holding him in his arms. 

“What about me?” Nines asks, rubbing Gavins arm. 

“I see you in that alley again, after Ada.” Gavin says, his voice dropping to a whisper, as if he’s afraid to say it too loudly. “B-but this time I’m too late.”

“Oh, Gavin.” Nines rests his cheek on Gavin’s head, tightening his hold around him. 

“I’ve watched your LED flicker out every time I’ve gone to sleep since that night.”

“You weren’t too late,” Nines says, slipping one of his hands into Gavin’s, his synthskin retracting. “You were right there when I needed you.” 

Gavin watches their hands, the white plastic of Nines’ chassis smooth and warm under his fingers. 

“What if I hadn't been? If i hadn’t been following you… the last thing i’d have said is that i didn’t need you….” 

“Gavin.” Nines says, cutting him off. “There is no use dwelling on the ‘what if’s’ You were there, and you got me to cyberlife. You saved my life that night, more than once.”

“Tell my brain that.” Gavin sighs, trying to suppress a yawn. 

“Everyday if I have to.” 

They sit in comfortable silence for a while after that. Nines’ sensors pick up on all the signs that Gavin is fighting his body's desire for sleep again. His head growing heavier on his shoulder. 

The third time he jerks himself back awake, Nines decides he needs to step in.

“I know you're afraid to, but you need to rest.” Nines’ says quietly, not wanting to break the calm atmosphere.

“What d’you call this?”

Nines rolls his eyes. 

“You need to sleep.” Nines says, gently rearranging Gavin, so that they’re both laying down, his head still pillowed on his shoulder. “How long can you keep going?”

Gavin sighs, fear building in his chest at the thought of nodding off again, his heart speeding up.  
He lays his hand over Nines’ thirium pump, the rhythmic whir against his fingertips. He makes a mental note to press his ear over it later, he’d like to know what it sounds like. 

“Maybe… maybe for a little bit. Will you stay?” Gavin says, already half asleep.

Nines presses a kiss to the top of Gavin’s head.

“Couldn’t drag me away.”


End file.
